I had this crazy idea the other day to combine three of my favorite kinds of quick breads. Zucchini bread, carrot cake bread and pumpkin bread. They all have a spiced batter and require fall vegetables for texture and flavor. I started off by using a cup of pumpkin puree, then added a bit of grated carrot to it and a half cup of grated zucchini. I was a bit nervous about how the liquid in the carrot and zucchini would effect the texture of the muffins, but since I was able to squeeze most of it out, it wasn’t a problem. These baked up perfectly and smelled divine! I topped mine off with a bit of whipped cinnamon cream cheese topping, but these are just as tasty without. Nuts or raisins would also be a great addition to this recipe along with pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Enjoy and happy baking!
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree - (not pie filling)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup carrot - finely grated, liquid removed
- 1/2 cup zucchini - finely grated, liquid removed
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cinnamon cream cheese topping
- 4 oz cream cheese - room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter - room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one standard size muffin pan with liners or grease with baking spray, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with mixing speed on low, combine sugars, puree, vegetable oil, applesauce, water, and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon. With mixing speed on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients, mixing until no flour pockets remain. Remove bowl from stand, gently fold in carrot and zucchini, set aside.
- Place in oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops spring back and are golden brown in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While muffins cool, to make the whipped topping, combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Gradually bring up the mixing speed to high, beat until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be very soft and spreadable, this is like frosting, but with less sugar. If more milk is needed to create a smoother consistency, add more and continue beating. Spread onto the tops of the cooled muffins.
NOTES
Makes 12 standard size muffins
Nutrition
Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 318mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 3925IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipe adapted from Libby’s Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
These are delicious! My kids love them and so do I. I always love sneaking healthy foods into things like muffins.
Thank you! Yes, I’m all about sneaking in those veggies any way you can. 😉
Hi,
Really looking forward to making these….One question, do they freeze well?